Last Thursday evening, Seattle Business Magazine held the 2018 Washington Manufacturing Awards, honoring excellence in manufacturing throughout the Evergreen State. One man in particular stood out as a “game changer” in his industry—David (or Dave) McCarty, Chief Operating Officer of Itek Energy. Dave was honored and touched to be awarded Manufacturing Executive of the Year for 2018.
Since joining Itek Energy in 2015, Dave has seen the company through significant growth and many changes. Itek’s workforce received extensive workforce development training in 2017, thanks to a grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce. Dave was excited to oversee this implementation, declaring that, “This process has been well documented to increase manufacturing capacity, strengthen supply chains, attract investment and create new opportunities for growing markets and developing new high-technology jobs.”
Dave’s commitment to lean manufacturing has resulted in a culture of continuous improvement at Itek, which he plans to continue into the foreseeable future. Under Dave’s leadership, Itek Energy has moved into a new 48,000 square-foot facility, adopted efficiencies that have cut scrap and rework by eighty percent, and pioneered ways to reuse materials—adding an extra layer of green to this already green industry.
Dave was joined at the gala by his lovely wife Sunday, his family, and many members of his team to celebrate with him as he accepted this well-earned award. Members of his team joined him on stage as he gave his acceptance speech. He thanked Seattle Business Magazine for celebrating manufacturing, and went on to say that no one achieves an award like this alone. Dave thanked his wife and family for their ongoing support, and John Flanagan for giving him the opportunity to take the reins as Chief Operating Officer, then he turned and indicated the team behind him.
Dave went on to say:
“All the people up here with me worked a lot of hours and carried a lot of stress . . . and I can’t thank them enough. This really is a dream job for me. Twenty years ago, in an interview, I was asked, ‘What do you want to do?’ I said, ‘I want to be the COO of a manufacturing company.’ . . . The people are what brought me back to manufacturing. They all have their own story, they all have their own background, and they all contribute their own value to the company. I’m lucky to work with a very intelligent, conscientious group of people that are engaged with what they do every day—providing high-quality product to our customers. . . . And it is the reason I was recognized tonight.”
Itek is proud of what Dave has accomplished, and is proud of the team he is leading. Congratulations to Dave and to all the manufacturing firms honored at this year’s banquet!
See Seattle Business Magazine’s article here.